{"product_id":"fanhood-to-manhood-tommy-knoxville-9780989254274","title":"Fanhood to Manhood: Shock Therapy for the Recovering Sports Fanatic","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf we want it bad enough, if we yell loud enough, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eif we concentrate hard enough, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e maybe we'll give our boys the edge they need. Regardless, we're all in. Seeing through their eyes, feeling through their muscles, we risk defeat alongside them, and the payoff is an experience bordering on the religious.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe team affirms who we are. Their tradition = our tradition. Their reputation = our reputation. Their record = our record. Let it be known through our clothes, our ringtone, our Facebook posts: we are true fans \u003cem\u003efor life.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAh, and the games themselves. The anticipation, the triumph, the group euphoria! \u003cem\u003eThat's\u003c\/em\u003e the high we chase. \u003cem\u003eThat's\u003c\/em\u003e the thrill that vindicates our loyalty. \u003cem\u003eThat's\u003c\/em\u003e why we're fans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHowever, there's a dark side.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen cheering for a team causes more anxiety than joy, when it affects how we show up for those we love, when it becomes an excuse for destructive behavior (binge spending, binge drinking, binge raging), when our obsession with the team's journey comes at the expense of our own journey - that's when an innocent hobby has turned toxic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce upon a time, this was me.\u003c\/strong\u003e My mood, my esteem and my testosterone levels depended on the athletic performance of strangers. (Your testosterone levels, too, says science - see chapter 21.) I'd celebrate when they won and pout when they lost, sometimes for weeks at a time. Immersed in the delusion that their games had something to do with me, some of my highest thrills and deepest satisfaction came through my team. (Sound familiar?)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile I chose this life, I didn't get it by accident. A billion-dollar industry had been quietly partnering with research psychologists to make me watch more, care more, spend more. Whatever it took to boost my \"Psychological Commitment to Team\" score (yes, that's a thing), to move me up the \"Fan Involvement Ladder\" (from suspect to customer to raving fan), to ensure I frequently \"BIRGed\" (Basked In Reflective Glory) and seldom \"CORFed\" (Cut Off Reflective Failure) - their marketers had no qualms against doing it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eToday, five years clean, whether my old team wins or loses is of little concern.\u003c\/strong\u003e No longer beholden to the scam, I do my own thing, find satisfaction and excitement through my own adventures, and am happier for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRehab wasn't easy, especially in our sports-crazed culture. But the core realization that made it possible was this: \u003cstrong\u003esports teams are mere businesses, fans are mere customers, and life's too short to spend it a glorified cheerleader.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs you read the story of my degeneration into toxic fanaticism in \u003cem\u003ePart I: Fanhood, \u003c\/em\u003e consider parallels in your own journey. We may not share the same sport or the same team. But we do share the same basic needs, and I'm betting the sports industry manipulated yours in a similar way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs you absorb the tough love of \u003cem\u003ePart II: Puberty, \u003c\/em\u003eremember why you're here. One too many weekends wasted? A brokenhearted family member? A sense that the squealing and whining are beneath you? Whatever the case, don't be too hard on yourself, \u003cstrong\u003eand know that better days are ahead.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd as you begin your new, triumphant chapter with \u003cem\u003ePart III: Manhood, \u003c\/em\u003e remain strong. Know that your internal \"bad wolf\" will try to derail your recovery \u003cem\u003e(Turn the game on... Just check the score... You know you wanna).\u003c\/em\u003e \"Kenny Kool-Aids\" will emerge with free tickets and promises of championships just around the corner \u003cem\u003e(It's our year - I can feel it!).\u003c\/em\u003e Resist. Remain vigilant. And begin steeling your will now, for relapse triggers will appear from within, as well as from without, guaranteed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFanhood may have served you at one time. But now is the time to put down the pom-poms and throw away that frilly pink skirt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWelcome to the path of fanhood to manhood\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tommy Knoxville\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0989254275\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780989254274\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Notaed Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/24\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.56d\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tommy Knoxville","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48483779084543,"sku":"9780989254274","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6fd0fbad-8fb7-45ab-8360-c0e3ccd9fc0e.jpg?v=1778040591","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/fanhood-to-manhood-tommy-knoxville-9780989254274","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}